The trailer for latest episode in the Star Wars saga was released in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the UK and fans could hardly contain their excitement.

The footage from Star Wars: The Last Jedi was unveiled at half-time during the US National Football League (NFL) game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears in Chicago, and was shared on the franchise's Twitter page shortly afterwards.

The footage from Star Wars: The Last Jedi was unveiled at half-time during the US National Football League (NFL) game

The 154-second trailer gave fans a glimpse of what might be in store in the highly-anticipated instalment, which picks up from where The Force Awakens, released in December 2015, ended.

And it seems fans of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) could be in for a treat, with the teaser suggesting he plays a major part in the movie after being absent for much of the previous film.

Other main characters including Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) are also featured in the trailer.

On Twitter, one fan described it as "the greatest trailer ever made", while others said they would be booking their cinema tickets in preparation for the film's release.

Tickets will now go on sale at cinemas across the UK for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which also features the late Carrie Fisher.